Sharon Roth, trade sales representative for Loyola Press, tells us why she enjoys The Meal Box by Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath.
“How was school today?” “Okay.” “Do you have much homework?” “Nope.”
Is this typical of a conversation around your dinner table? Gathering the family together for dinner provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about each other as you talk to one another, but how can parents get meaningful mealtime conversations started? There’s a wonderful solution to this challenge, and you’ll find it in my favorite Loyola Press “book,” The Meal Box. This small box contains 54 cards with questions guaranteed to start family conversations. The questions are good for all ages and, simply put, they’re really fun!
Here’s one example of the kind of questions you’ll find in The Meal Box: If you had to describe your personality in terms of a form of transportation, which one would you choose? (Examples: airplane, bicycle, cab, camel, hot-air balloon, sailboat, skateboard, train, truck.)
Answers to the above question demonstrate the uniqueness of each family member. Parents can see and appreciate this individuality and pray that they can nurture these gifts to help build a better world; children can see that each person has different gifts and is responsible to use those gifts for the good of the world. And there’s a great bonus on the back of each card: A two- to three-sentence faith tip, written by Catholic family expert Tom McGrath, introduces faith to our everyday lives in a way that is both fun and thought-provoking.
This Lent, consider using The Meal Box to learn more about those you love and to help your faith become a more integral part of family life.
To find out more about The Meal Box or to preview cards, click here.
